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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · ball · kick · march · field · cabinet · arm · hand

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. hand — in cards
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. field — for sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. march — the month
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. march — music
  15. hand — help
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. field — farmland
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. march — the month
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kick — in football
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com